By Denise Clarke and Nagra Plunkett, Staff Reporters
Stagnant water in a blocked culvert on Lightbody Avenue in Railway Gardens, St. Andrew continues to be a nuisance for residents who occupy houses in the vicinity. They claim that they have to use canoes to access their homes whenever there is heavy rainfall. - Adrian Frater Photo
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE ST. JAMES Parish Council is considering a proposal to transform the filthy slum of Railway Gardens into a bustling commercial district.
The proposal is for the area to be transformed into a commercial market district as an extension of the Charles Gordon Market. This move will necessitate the demolition of dilapidated shacks and shops, which the more than 300 families resident will leave behind, when they move to new houses at Providence Heights in the parish. The relocation is set to take place soon.
Noel Donaldson, Mayor of Montego Bay and chairman of the council, said the proposal is to be included in the Greater Montego Bay Area Plan, which is currently being re-drafted.
"What is being contemplated is for the area to be an extension of the Charles Gordon Market, to commercialise the entire area, providing greater opportunity for retail businesses," Mayor Donaldson explained.
RE-DRAFTING
He noted that the re-drafting of the Greater Montego Bay Redevelopment Company (GMRC) plan, which was originally put forward in 1997, will hopefully result in new developments for the entire parish of St. James. It will include proposals for the long-term development of downtown Montego Bay, including Railway Gardens.
However, the president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, Winston Dear, is urging that any proposed development for Railway Gardens be undertaken swiftly to prevent re-occupation by squatters. He noted that the Chamber had not yet been consulted about the proposed development for the area, but added that the chamber would lend its support to the development as long as all the stakeholders are involved.
"What we would like to see is commercialisation with housing options included as well. A city without people living in it would die a natural death, so we would like to see a plaza, which include a housing component and a green area, that is the type of concept we would like to see," said Mr. Dear.
For years, the Railway Gardens community has been regarded as an environmental disaster. Most residents skip on stones and boards strategically placed in effluent to enter the rundown shacks they call home. This as the drains are almost always blocked.
COMMERCIAL THOROUGHFARE
The community, which lies just beyond the bustling commercial thoroughfare of Barnett Street and adjacent to the defunct tracks of the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC), consists of Railway Lane, Barnett Lane, River Bay Road, Lightbody Avenue, Fish Lane, Dean's Lane, Barnett Lane, Catherine Lane and Coombs Lane.
The evacuation of the area is to begin shortly after the handing over of the new units by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson tommorrow. Under the Slum Clearance Act, the Government, through the Ministry of Water and Housing, will seek to acquire those vacant properties for development.
